All about Plagiarism

All about Plagiarism

WebsterТs New World College Dictionary defines plagiarism as Уto take (ideas, writings, etc.) from (another) and pass them off as one’s ownФ. With this definition, there arise many forms and kinds of plagiarism.
One form of plagiarism is called cybercheating. This form of plagiarism can occur when one copies an entry from the internet and claiming it as oneТs own. This can also happen when one buys from an anonymous source in the web and claim it as an original work. Also, it can happen when a person downloads any form of information from the web and taking it as a personal output (“Cybercheating,” from the website of UMass Boston, Healey Library).
Despite the other forms of plagiarism, it is boiled down to two basic categories: intentional and unintentional plagiarism. Whatever the form is, both kinds of plagiarism are still subject to punishment by regulating bodies.
Unintentional plagiarism usually occurs to people without the knowledge of how deep plagiarism is all about. Usually, the act of paraphrasing can bring unintentional plagiarism into consequence. Even if the words are altered and mix with oneТs own words, it still deserve proper citation. This is because the idea is not an original idea still. It is derived from someone else. Therefore, credit is due to whoever the original thinker is. Though paraphrasing entitles an individual to use his own words, this does not give him the license to consider the article as his own. To avoid committing unintentional plagiarism, one should have the knowledge that paraphrasing is not coming up with oneТs idea that is revived from someone elseТs idea. As a matter of fact, it is still someone elseТs idea.
Intentional plagiarism, on the other hand, is purposively claiming someoneТs work as oneТs own. This is a prohibited action and results to punishment when discovered. Some examples of intentional plagiarism are copying an article and a statement from an online source without referring to the source in the paper. Moreover, when quotation is not used, it is therefore blatantly an act of intentional plagiarism. Citing the owner of the idea in a paper can be tedious and time-consuming. But when this is done properly and accordingly, the paper that will be submitted is free from any harm that plagiarism may cause.
Whether it is unintentional or intentional plagiarism, one should remember that there are rules to be followed to avoid this. The basic idea that revolves around the concept of avoiding plagiarism lies to the fact that to avoid it, one should always know how to cite the references whether in direct quotation, paraphrasing, and summarization. If a person follows these rules and the general rule properly, he will be free from any harm.
To further help an individual avoid plagiarism, some guidelines are still needed to be followed. Among the guidelines is the fact that paraphrasing and summarizing should still be attributed to the original text even if oneТs own words will be used. Another, in quoting another person, one should copy every word that the writer use and use quotation mark properly. After all these, proper citation should be properly and appropriately used.